Sleep Strategies | 0

You are here: Home

Baby's First Year

3-6 Months

Sleep Strategies

The Twilight Zone
Sleep Strategies for Your Little One

Remember pre-baby sleep? Yeah, you won’t be back to those days anytime soon. But you can use these tips to help your baby sleep more soundly.

As a new parent you’ll soon learn that sleep time is precious time. It would be nice if when babies arrived they adjusted to your sleep schedule, however, that is not the case—you have to train them to semi-adjust to yours. Don’t expect them to change overnight because they can be some stubborn creatures! I remember waking up in the middle of the night to the loud cry of my baby. I would jump out of bed, tend to the baby and try to return to sleep. As a result of always holding the baby when it was sleeping during the day, she became accustomed to sleeping in someone’s arms instead of her bed. Just like feeding and bathing, it’s important to come up with a sleep strategy so that you, baby, and daddy can get some rest.

The key to a goodnight’s rest is routine, routine, routine—it’s the number one sleep strategy recommended by sleep experts. Babies are usually tired at night; however, they want to fall asleep on their own terms, not ours. Put your baby to sleep at the same time every night. You should schedule a routine of a bath, a book/singing, nursing or a bottle every night to prepare your baby for bedtime. Place your baby in its bed drowsy, but awake so the little one doesn’t become dependent upon falling asleep in your arms.

Once you’ve put your baby in its bed, turn on the monitor and leave the room. If the baby cries, do not rush back into the room. If your baby has a hard time settling in, try making light noise—believe it or not, the baby is used to noise from when it was in your womb. Lastly, create a comfortable temperature in the room. Remember, what’s comfortable for you may not be for the baby. Babies tend to like the room cooler around 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you develop a classic routine, putting the baby to sleep will be a bonding experience—and a breeze!